One is that homeless families, as with homeless youths, are probably not being counted. Mostly women with young children, homeless families will do anything before they subject their children to living on the streets. So they double up in apartments with family members or friends until they are kicked out; return to an abuser if they were fleeing domestic violence and found themselves with nowhere to go; and most commonly cycle in and out of shelters.

Why do we focus on the unsheltered when so many are languishing in shelters as well?

The Department of Homeless Services daily shelter report shows that there are 12,379 families in shelter with 22,830 children, 69 percent of the city’s general shelter population. By focusing on people living on the streets, who are largely single adults, we are missing the opportunity to create solutions and provide resources that will address family homelessness.

Ignoring this problem is likely to increase intergenerational poverty and produce even more homeless people in the future.